Terry Tickhill Terrell Presented J. L. Stifel & Sons: Indigo Dyers

by Lisa Gallagher, Barnesville Area News

On May 1, 2025, The Watt Center for History and the Arts in Barnesville, Ohio, hosted Terry Tickhill Terrell, who presented a lecture on J. L. Stifel & Sons. Her talk included their Wheeling, WV, indigo fabric dying company’s history and the contributions of J. L. Stifel to our local area.

Johann Ludwig Stifel learned the indigo dying process from the ground up in Germany and then emigrated to Baltimore, ending up in Wheeling. In 1835, Johann Stifel started The Stifel Co. and married Barbara Becht, a German emigrant from Steubenville. Circa 1837, Johann Stifel opened a factory to make hand resist dyed indigo calicos located on 9th and Main Streets.

In 1859, Stifel’s sons Louis C. and William F. became partners. The sons learned the business from the ground up. Johann Stifel retired in 1874. At that time, the company was producing 2,500 yards of printed calico fabric and shipping it all over the world. A larger plant was built at 4th and Main Streets in 1896. In 1903, the boot trademark was patented. Post WW II, the Stifel plant produced 3.5 million yards of fabric per month. Each month the plant used enough water to supply a town of 80,000 people, burned 15 railroad cars of coal, and used 30 tons of starches. In 1957, Stifel Co. merged with the textile company Indian Head. The Wheeling plant was then closed.

J. L. Stifel was a civic-minded citizen. He was active in the Lutheran Church. He provided funds for the purchase of land and a home for orphans. He was the founder of the first German language newspaper Staatz Zeitung.

J. L. Stifel held many important positions within the Wheeling community. Johann was a stockholder and the director of the Wheeling Suspension Bridge. He served as director and president of the National Savings Bank of Wheeling. He supported the Union in the Civil War and was a member of the convention that resulted in the separation of West Virginia from Virginia. He was a member of the first board of Ohio County Commissioners.

If you missed the event with Terry Tickhill Terrell and would like to learn more about J. L. Stifel & Sons, please click here for the link to the recorded program.

Terry is a native of Barnesville. While attending The Ohio State University, she was a member of the first team of women to visit the South Pole. She has worked for various government agencies and has researched the effects of different types of energy development on aquatic ecosystems. In retirement, Terry has pursued research on various lines of quilt history. She has given numerous presentations on textile history to a variety of professional groups, published several articles, and created the Floral Motifs on Early Chintz website.